Afghanistan

(asked on 25th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is for notifying her Department of people who are at risk of political persecution in Afghanistan and who are seeking support from the UK Government.


Answered by
Victoria Atkins Portrait
Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This question was answered on 23rd February 2022

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January and will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

The scheme will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).

Representations from Members of Parliament have raised the plight of a great number of people from Afghanistan who would wish to relocate to the UK.

These representations have helped to inform the design of the ACRS as a scheme that will help those in need who are particularly vulnerable, including women and children at risk, and minority groups; as well as those who have supported the UK mission in Afghanistan.

All referrals onto the ACRS will be through the three pathways set out in the statement to Parliament of 6 January, which is a fair and equitable way to identify those most in need.

As an additional verification step, we shall check names of eligible British Council and GardaWorld contractors, and Chevening alumni against the names of people referred to us by MPs during the evacuation.

Further detail on the three referral pathways can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.

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